


Comfort of the Soul

by Cxellover



Series: A Matter of Control [3]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-23
Updated: 2015-01-10
Packaged: 2018-02-10 01:14:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 14,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2005383
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cxellover/pseuds/Cxellover
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Belle has a bad dream and Rumple tries to help</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Rumple touched the collar around his neck and sighed a contented sigh. He could feel Belle curled up next to him on their rather large bed. She had trapped his other arm under her. He moved his fingers carefully to get the sensation back into them but not wake Belle up.

He felt more at peace than he had in a very long time. Belle was his salvation.

That she didn’t think he was a monster was amazing. The fact that she enjoyed his proclivities was a bloody miracle. 

He finally had someone he didn’t have to hide his true face from and that made all the difference in the world to him. He was accepted and loved for himself. 

Belle shifted and Rumple held his breath hoping not to wake her.

She rolled towards him. He could see that her face was not peaceful. She started twitching and mumbling.

Just as he was going to wake her, she screamed “Rumple! Noooooo!” and sat up violently shoving her elbow into his chest right at the diaphragm. 

It took Rumple a minute or so to recover from the blow and he could see Belle finally register where she was and who she was with. She saw him in distress.

“Rumple!?!?!”

He held up a hand and finally regained his voice, “I’m fine Belle.”

He put his hand to where she had accidently struck him, “That’s going to leave a mark and not one of the nice ones.”

He though she would smile at that. She looked as if she was about to cry.

“Hey, hey what’s wrong?” he said gently stroking her arm.

“I…” she stopped and took a deep breath, “Bad dream.” She shivered.

He pulled her towards him and enfolded her in his arms. Her head rested on his chest right next to his heart, “It’s OK Belle. Whatever the dream was, it is not real.” 

He could feel her shiver so he took his hand and rubbed her back trying to sooth her.

It had the opposite effect. She started crying as if her soul was lost.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” she kept saying between the sobs. Rumple held her letting her cry it out. Once she composed herself, he tried again.

“Belle, what happened in the dream?” said Rumple who was getting rather concerned with this turn of affairs.

“It wasn’t a dream really. More of a memory mixed with a dream,” she lay her hand on his chest and started absent-mindedly toying with his right nipple ring. Rumple really had to focus on Belle and not the sensation.

“How so?” he asked.

“Do you remember when I came to the castle and Zelena had you in a cage in the trophy room?”

“Bits and pieces really. Being of two minds can make it hard to focus,” he replied, “I have a vague memory of you being there but I also thought it was something Zelena was doing to drive me mad…well madder. It was hard to sort out reality from fantasy.”

“I was back there with you and Zelena was ordering you to kill me..”

“Which she did but Neal saved you by taking some control of me,” he said.

“You remember that?”

“Again parts but not the whole. I do remember that you got away and Zelena decided that it was my fault and I had to pay for it,” It was now Rumple’s turn to shutter at the thought of what happened next.

“I’m sorry Rumple. I didn’t want to bring up bad memories.”

“It’s all right love. Consider how far we have come. A couple of months ago I would probably be in the fetal position on the floor having to think about this.”

She continued to play with the ring through his nipple and he could feel his focus slipping elsewhere.

He sat up and leaned over and kissed his wife. She responded to the kiss with passion and need.

“Lean back dear and let me do the heavy lifting this time,” he said with a smile as he placed her on her back with him stretched out beside her. He continued to kiss her while letting his fingers trail from her collarbone all the way to her pubic bone and back up. 

Belle let out a groan in response to his touch.

He continued to use his fingers to touch and tease Belle all the while exploring her mouth with his tongue. He could feel the heat start to radiate from her skin. He carefully placed his fingers just at the opening of her cunt. Again he could feel the heat from her body. He took two fingers and plunged them into the warm wetness of his loving wife. 

She squeaked in response.

He smiled and continued to ease in and out of her with a varied rhythm that never quite let her catch her breath. He could feel her juices sliding over his fingers. He turned his hand slightly, took his thumb, and started stroking her clit. That sent her over the edge and her thighs squeezed down on his hand as she screamed her pleasure into his mouth.

He slowed down the motion and let Belle ride her orgasm out. He pulled back and watched her slowly come back to this reality from where ever she had gone.

“I love you,” she said trying to regain her normal breathing.

“And I you,” he said with a grin.

She reached up, put two fingers under his collar, and pulled his head to hers. She kissed him hard and bit his lower lip.

“Thank you,” she said. She got up and went to the bathroom leaving Rumple in the bed with a raging hard on. He debated what he should do next.

He had barely touched his cock when Belle stepped back into the room, “Oh you are not allowed to cum until I tell you that you can.” She snapped a cock ring around the base of his cock.

Rumple groaned in frustration and pleasure.

It was going to be a long day indeed.


	2. Chapter 2

Rumple stood behind the counter of his shop. Uncomfortable didn’t cover how he felt right now. He couldn’t really walk in public with the bulge that his pants were showing. He couldn't take care of it without Belle knowing that he had. And the frustration was just turning him on more with each moment. Belle had him by the balls and they both knew it. 

He worked on trying to pull his focus away from his problem but that only seem to bring on more sensation. 

He heard the key in the back door of the shop and looked at his watch. It was practically lunchtime so that would be Belle coming to join him. He hoped that she had brought lunch with her since, in his condition, sitting at Granny’s would be problematic at best.

She came through the curtain and gave him a wifely peck on the cheek while she grabbed his ass with her other hand.

He moaned at the sensation. 

She reached to the front and circled the outline of his hard cock with her finger. The sensation didn’t help matters at all as he felt himself threatening to tear through his trousers.

“You seem to have a little problem there,” she said with a smile and her finger running over the trapped organ.

“Little?” he said cocking one eyebrow in disbelief. 

“OK, big problem,” she said with an evil grin. She took off her shoes and knelt down in front of him in an alcove under the counter. She reached out and pulled him towards her. 

He stumbled and put his hands on the counter to brace himself. 

“Perfect,” she said, “stay there.”

She unzipped his trousers and pulled out his cock, which was pulsing with anticipation.

“Yep, defiantly a big problem. Well no worries, I’ll help you with it,” Belle said with a wink, “Just remember you can’t cum until I say you can or there will be consequences.”

“If you don’t do something soon, there will be consequences,” he said in a rough voice.

She slowly took the head of his cock in her mouth using her tongue to run across the top of it. She looked up at him with such a lusty expression. 

He moaned again at the sight of his wife on her knees behind the counter in their shop with his cock in her mouth. He took a mental snap shot for later.

She took her hands and fondled his balls. She unsnapped the cock ring she had put on him that morning.

He groaned and said, “Thank you Mistress.” One must express gratitude for even the smallest of favors. 

He was glad he had his hands on the counter because his legs were turning the jelly from Belle’s clever mouth.

The sound of the bell announcing someone entering the shop could not have been more ill times. His head snapped up from watching Belle and he saw Emma Swan enter the shop.

“Gold, what do you know about leprechauns?”

“They can be annoy pests at the best of time and are the agents of chaos at their worse. Why?” growled Rumple trying to keep his composure. It didn’t help that Belle was now starting to deep throat his cock and tickling his balls at the same time.

“They showed up at Geppetto’s shop and are causing all kinds of havoc through out the town.”

Rumple had to bite back a groan, “What do you want me to do about it?”

“Is everything OK?” asked Emma advancing to the counter in front of him. 

Rumple took a step forward and pushed Belle further into the alcove, “Fine. And again I ask, what do you want me to do about it?”

“I don’t know, magic them away?”

“AH,” he said gasping a bit as Belle continued to tease him, “But all magic comes at a price and you might not like to pay it. I have another temporary suggestion until you can reason with them.”

“Reason with them?”

“It is possible. I had a group that lived on the grounds of my manor. They were most helpful once we established the ground rules. Here is what you must do, get a bag of sand or salt and dump it out in front of them. They have to count it all before they can do anything else. After that you should be able to talk to them.”

“Can you come give us a hand?”

“I am a little pre-occupied with other matters right nooow,” He jumped just a little as Belle ran a finger between his cock and his asshole. This was simply not cricket but it felt so good.

“Are you sure you are OK?”

Rumple was feeling more and more inarticulate so he nodded.

Emma turned to go. 

When she got to the door, Rumple let out a sigh of relief which he cut short when Emma turned back around.

“Have you seen Belle?”

“This morning at home. Why?”

“I went by the library and she wasn’t there. The ‘be back later’ sign was up. I thought she might have come here.”

“Maybe she is getting lunch for us. Why are you looking for her?”

“Oh I have a question for her but it can wait.”

‘I bloody well hope so,’ he thought, ‘because I can’t.’

“I’ll tell her that you are looking for her.”

“Thanks,” said Emma and she left.

Rumple let out a large moan and said, “Belle please?”

She tapped his leg and held a thumb up. She went back to work on his cock and in a very short time Rumple came with a shout and almost fell to his knees. Belle took a couple of tissues out of her pocket, cleaned him up, and put his now limp cock back in his pants.

She got up and kissed him tenderly.

“You’re going to be the death of me,” he said trying to control his rapid breathing and heart rate.

“That was fun,” she said with a mischievous grin on her face, “I’ll have to remember how much that turned you on. Lunch I think now.”

She went and turned the lock and the sign. She went to the curtain and crooked her finger at him. 

He smiled and joined her in the backroom for a special ‘dessert’ before lunch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this works.
> 
> Next what happens during lunch.
> 
> Comments and Kudos are love and encouragement.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fun for Belle in the back room ensues

Belle draped herself on the cot he had in the back of the shop. She put one hand under her head and motioned to the floor in front of her with the other. The grin on her face gave Rumple a shiver that went to his toes. He knelt down where she pointed and looked lovingly at his wife. 

His wife. The words seemed both strange and familiar to him. That Belle had agreed to marry him had astonished him. The fact that they managed to do it before the next crises in Storybrooke was almost unbelievable. 

Her voice snapped his reverie back to the here and now, “I think you are over dressed a bit. Strip to the waist please and then hands behind your back.”

He removed his jacket and folded it carefully before he put it on the table next to them. It was quickly followed by his tie, vest, and shirt.

“Stop” came the command. Rumple took his hands away from his t-shirt and places them behind his back.

Belle sat on the edge of the cot and looked at his chest. She took her fingers and ran them over the cloth over his nipples and rings. Rumple found himself moaning at her touch.

“That sensitive?”

He nodded. Words were not coming easily for him at the moment.

“And considering all I did to relieve your tension too,” she smiled, “There are times I don’t think you appreciate me enough.”

“No mistress. I worship you.”

“Prove it. I’m going to let you have dessert before your lunch.” She pulled a spray can of whip cream from behind her then took off her blouse and bra. She sprayed the whip cream on her breasts. “Remember earlier I said I thought I could come from you just sucking on my breasts? Now prove me right. Prove me right and there will be a special treat for you at home tonight.”

Rumple grinned a wide grin. Oh a challenge was it? He would prove to his goddess that he was worthy of her trust.

“I am going to allow you to use your hands as well as that clever tongue of yours.”

“Thank you mistress.”

“You may begin.”

He scooted in between her legs and started licking the whip cream off her breasts. He knew he had a limited time before her body heat melted it off her breasts and onto her clothes and it wouldn’t do for her to get a drop on her lovely skirt. He circled but didn’t quite touch her nipples. He lapped and licked until her breasts were clean of the white substance. He went to town on her nipples with sucking, nipping, and nibbling. 

Belle moaned in appreciation, which only encouraged Rumple to redouble his efforts.

He worshipped Belle’s pair of lover’s pillows with his hands and mouth. He could tell by the groan she was close oh so very close. He upped the pressure until he knew he had her on the brink. Then he bit down on the nipple in his mouth while pulling on the one in his hand and was rewarded with Belle gripping his head into to her chest were Rumple could hear the noises coming from her even more. He stroked her side as she came back down from the wave of pleasure she was riding. 

She plundered his mouth with her tongue and said, “Thank you.”

Rumple grinned.

She gave him a light slap on the face, “And I know I owe you a reward.”

She kissed him again and brushed his hair out of his face gently, “what did I do to deserve such a perfect treasure?”

Rumple blushed under the praise. 

Belle looked at her watch, “And I need to get back to the library.”

She kissed his cheek and put back on her clothing, “I’ll see you at home.”

She grabbed one of the two containers from the table and a bottle of water and ran out the back door leaving Rumple on his knees contemplating what his reward might be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have you ever wondered how much action that cot in the back of Rumple's shop gets?
> 
> I am figuring a lot.
> 
> Thank you for the comments so far and thank you for reading.
> 
> As to what Belle has in store for Rumple, any guesses...Mwahahaahaaaa


	4. Chapter 4

Rumple got up off his knees and dusted off his pants. He decided to eat lunch and then put back on the rest of his clothes. He knew he had a silly grin on his face and he was working hard to wipe it off before dealing with the denizens of Storybrooke. It wouldn’t do for Mr. Gold to look like a love struck boy. 

He picked up his sandwich and dripped mustard onto his t-shirt. Well that helped dampen the mood. He finished up his lunch efficiently and pulled off the soiled garment. 

He picked up his shirt and was about to put it on when he heard the door behind him open and someone walk in.

He turned to find Killian Jones staring at him with a slack jawed expression.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” Rumple said with a growl and a dower look.

“Ummmmm,” said Killian trying to get his brain to reboot. Here was his former enemy stripped to the waist with a collar around his neck and jewelry on his nipples. 

“Well?” said Rumple putting on his shirt and buttoning it. That seem to get Killian back to the here and now.

“Emma sent me to get you to help with the wee folk that have invaded Storybrooke. We did as you suggested but the king wants to talk to Rumplestilskin and no one else,” said Killian trying to recompose himself.

“Anything else?”

“No…” said Killian 

“Is there a problem?”

“Oh no mate. What you do is your business and none of mine," said Killian his hands up in a submissive position.

“I suggest you take care to remember that,” said Rumple with a look that told Killian that he was on very shaky ground.

Rumple put on his tie, vest and coat then followed Killian to Geppetto’s shop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I know it is short but it sets up the rest of the story.
> 
> Sorry bad headache and work makes one unable to get more done.
> 
> But I hope you enjoy it.


	5. Chapter 5

Belle got home from the library. She had stayed later for the book group that meet once a month. She was glad to get home. She smiled as she looked at the house she now called home. 

She turned back and said, “Thanks Ruby for the lift. I don’t know why I couldn’t get in touch to Rumple.”

“I am sure everything is OK, ”said Ruby, “Probably off saving the town again…or taking a nap. He took care of the leprechaun problem before more damage can be done but he looked very tired afterwards.”

Belle felt a stir of concern. She had dealt with Rumple when he pushed it a little too far. The “all magic comes at a price” could include backlash on the caster of the spell. But she put on a brave face for Ruby and wished her a good night.

She unlocked the front door and entered, “Rumple? “ she called out. No response.

She knew he was there because the car was there in the driveway. 

“Rumple?” she said again. The silence felt deafening. A feeling of dread gripped her stomach. She walked into the living room to find Rumple’s clothing strewn all over the floor but no Rumple. She noticed that the shirt was destroyed as if it had been ripped off his body. 

She went to the stair to see socks and a ripped undershirt on the steps. 

Cautiously she went upstairs and looked in the bedroom. No Rumple.

She noticed that the door to the playroom was not quite shut. She pushed open the door to find Rumple kneeling with his head bowed and the dagger in his open palms.

He raised the dagger to her and said in a choked voice, “Please!”

“Rumple what happened?”

Rumple shook his head. He still hadn’t looked up. He raised the dagger higher in front of him.

“Rumple look at me.”

He shook his head again.

Belle took the dagger and said, “Rumple look at me.”

His head snapped up. She could tell he had been weeping. His whole body language was one of sadness and anger. 

“Why are you angry?”

“At myself Mistress. I made a mistake and I am afraid you will pay the price for it.”

Belle decided that sitting was going to be better for both of them while she sorted out what the hell had happened in the time that she had left the shop and now. She went to the throne and sat down. 

“Come here.”

He crawled over to her and settled with his head against her knee. She stroked his hair. This seemed to calm him a bit.

“I will ask again, why are you angry at yourself.”

He said, “Hook saw my collar.”

Belle had forgotten that he had worn that today rather than his usual necklace. He had asked to do so.

“Why is that so bad?”

Rumple shifted his position. Belle could tell this was the crux of the problem. She took the dagger and lay it against his back so he could feel it, “Why is this so bad?” she repeated.

He shuttered, “The look on his face. I….it was hard. I felt he was disgusted by me.”

“Rumple tell me the truth. Was he disgusted or were you ashamed that he saw you?”

Rumple mumbled something.

“I didn’t hear that. Speak up.”

He sat up and looked her in the eye, “I was ashamed.”

She gripped his chin in her hand and looked into his eyes. She nodded.

“That is not acceptable behavior. You have no reason to be ashamed of who or what you are. I want you to go to the cross and spread out.”

He stood up and walked to the St. Andrew’s cross and spread his arms out and his legs apart. Belle grabbed a set of leather wrist cuffs and leg cuffs from the table. She placed the cuffs on Rumple and attached him to the cross. She watched him pulled against the restraint and then relaxed into it. 

She sat back down on the throne and looked at the man spread out in front of her. She admired the lines of his back and the muscles in his legs. His tight ass was begging to be played with. She watched as he struggled not to move. He was not entirely successful as she watched various muscle groups tense and then relax. 

“Let’s get started,” she said walking to the wall of instruments and grabbing a thick leather strap. 

Rumple shivered in anticipation of what was to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, still here. Yes, still writing. Work is going to be a bear between now and mid September. Blame the weather.
> 
> I do thrive on comments and kudos and those keep me writing.
> 
> So there may be longer pauses between chapters but I am still writing and thinking about this story.
> 
> This chapter is more set up than sex but no worries, we'll get to that soon.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is blood in this chapter His not Her's but I wanted to warn for it.

Belle snapped the leather strap a couple of times so Rumple had some idea what was coming. She started with the backs of his thighs and worked her way up to his ass carefully laying down the angry red strips the strap produced. This was not one of Rumple favorite toys but it sure got him to focus fast. She watched carefully his body and backed off when she started seeing signs of distress.

She walked in front of the cross and picked up his head by his hair.

He hissed at the sharp tug.

“I am disappointed my dear. I thought we had gotten past this,” she growled in his ear.

He whimpered. 

“You have nothing to be ashamed about. You belong to Me and only Me or have what you been declaring just words?”

“No Mistress, I belong to you and you alone.”

“I don’t believe you.”

She watched and he looked at her with such sadness and hurt. She knew she had hit a nerve. She let go of his hair and walked back to the wall of toys. Nothing really sang to her. She was at a loss on how to get her lover to see how much she treasured his gift. Then she had an idea.

She walked back to cross where Rumple was slumped. She took his head in her hands and kissed him hard. He responded with as much passion. There was a clashing of lips, teeth and tongues. She pulled back and said, “Do you trust me?”

“Absolutely.”

She went to the bathroom and picked up some items that she would need. She then went back to the playroom and went to the cupboard where she had put scalpels she had bought just for this occasion. 

Rumple shifted a little from foot to foot. He had been tied up for a while.

Belle pulled out and set up the massage table. She put towels down. She put everything else she would need on the rolling cart. 

She helped Rumple off the cross and helped his walk a bit to get the blood flowing. Rumple limped a bit from the strap marks about his legs and butt. 

“You ready?”

“For what?” 

She removed the towel she had put over the cart and he saw the scalpels. 

She watched as his eyes widened at the sight, “I remember that you said you wish there could be a more permanent mark that I wouldn’t magic away at the end of a session.”

He took her head in his hands and looked deep into her eyes.

She smiled, “I have been practicing and I know how I want to mark you as mine.”

“Have I told you how much I love you?”

“Yes, but I am always glad to hear it. Now up on the table face down please.”

He did as she asked.

She removed the restraints from his wrists and ankles. 

“This is an exercise in absolute trust. You cannot move. Do you understand?”

He nodded.

“And if it gets too much?”

“Chipped cup.”

“Good boy.” She said running her fingers through his hair. 

He purred at her touch.

She ran her fingers lightly over his back. 

He shivered a bit. He felt her press a palm on his mid-back.

“Still. You must be still.”

He nodded.

She looked at his back and chose her spot. She put rubbing alcohol on a gauze pad and cleaned the area. She opened the sterile package and removed the scalpel. She placed her hand on his back.  
“Ready?”

“Yes, Mistress.”

The first cut felt like fire burning through his skin. ‘Still’ he thought ‘Keep still for Mistress’

The first cut was followed by more cuts and Rumple could feel the endorphins start to kick in and he was floating.

“Give me a number,” said Belle as she swapped out for another scalpel.

“Five? I am enjoying it.”

“Good. Let’s continue.”

And for the next hour Belle carved carefully into Rumple’s back. About the time that the pain was getting towards a Nine, she declared it done.

She helped him sit up and walk to the bathroom. She handed him a mirror. He used the mirror to look at his back in the bathroom mirror. She took some gauze and wiped clean the blood that had weld up on his shoulder. He saw before the bleeding covered it a most exquisite rose. She had even done delicate thorns.

“Well?”

“I love it. Mistress, I…” his knees felt weak. Belle caught him and helped him sit on the toilet lid. 

“Shhhh, you are all right. I have you.”

He felt dizzy.

“Can you give me a moment to bandage this and then I will help you to bed?”

He nodded. Words were not coming to his lips.

“Rumple, look at me.”

He looked up. She judged that he was not going into shock and went back to attending the wounds she had given her lover.

She helped him to their bed. She removed his clothes and helped him slide under the covers. Rumple found that he could not lie on his back. Between the strap marks and the rose, he would probably be on his belly for a while unless she ordered him to heal.

“I’m not going to,” she said as she got ready for bed.

“Not going to what?”

“Order you to heal. I want you to feel this. And every time you do I want you to be proud of what you are. You are my husband, my lover, my submissive. You belong to me and I don’t give a naked mole rat’s ass who knows.”

She slid into bed and carefully curled up next to him, “I love you Rumplestilskin. I am proud that you are mine.”

Rumple drifted off to sleep feeling the burn of the welts and the cuts and he never felt more loved.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not forgotten.
> 
> Just has been crazy at work to the point that I haven't had time for anything recreational at all. I have worked out most of the rest of it in my head and things are (crossing fingers) slowing down for a bit.
> 
> Comments are most welcome. Heck I just am wondering if anyone is reading this. Kudos are helpful too.
> 
> I hope you enjoy.


	7. Chapter 7

The next morning Rumple awoke and found that moving much less getting out of bed was going to be a challenge. 

“I can help you with that,” said his wife who was sitting at her make-up table brushing her hair. He saw that she had the dagger next to her.

“No, let me see if I can do this,” he said, “Lessons must be learned.”

She came over to the bed and helped him sit up. His ass hurt where it made contact with the bed. She got him to standing and had him step a couple of steps forward so she could look at his back.

“Ooooo, that’s got to hurt. I may have been a little heavy handed.” 

She helped him adjust so he could see his back and legs in the full length mirror in the corner of the room.

He looked over his shoulder and saw the marks over his legs and butt. There were signs of bruises forming. The skin was not broken anywhere but where she cut him. The bandage needed to be changed as he could see red starting to seep through.

“No” he said.

“No?”

“You were thinking of using the dagger to heal this but you also wanted to teach me a lesson right?”

“But Rumple that’s a little more than just a lesson.”

He shook his head and said, “If you love me, you will let me do this.”

Belle bit her lower lip, thought for a bit, and nodded, “All right. However if this becomes untenable, you have to promise me that you will TELL me. None of this keeping to yourself.”

He opened his mouth but closed it just as fast when she raised a hand, “Rumple I will never beat you like that again if you do not agree to this.”

He nodded and said “As you wish Mistress.”

“Good boy,” Belle went up on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss, “Now let me attended to those cuts. Lie down on the bed.”

He did as she bade him to. She took off the bandage and looked at it. She wasn’t sure if this would scar and if she had been deep enough with the cuts but she could always do it again. She cleaned it up and bandaged it again. She put a soothing cream on the bruises and welts. It was a good thing he mostly stood at the shop because he wasn’t going to be doing much sitting for a while.

It took him a little longer to dress but each jolt of pain was a comfort to him. 

They had breakfast and went into town. Driving was a new challenge but he relaxed into the pain he was feeling.

Belle went to open the library to find Emma Swan at the backdoor shifting a bit from foot to foot. The look on her face told Belle that Belle would probably not like what she was about to hear.

“Can I talk to you?” Emma asked.

“About?”

“I’d rather talk to you in private.”

Belle unlocked the backdoor to the library and gestured Emma in.

Belle put away her purse and placed their lunches in the fridge. Emma followed her into the library proper. They sat down in the reading area that Belle had created to let patrons read books and sip coffee.

“Coffee?” Belle asked as she started a fresh pot for the day.

“Thanks” said Emma.

“How do you take it?”

“Oh ummm black nothing in it.”

The social nicety were attended to and Belle sat down facing Emma.

“So what do you need to talk to me about?”

Emma seemed to be searching for the right words, “Do you remember the day that Henry stayed with you and Mr. Gold….took ill?”

Belle remember the fear on Henry’s face when Rumple had a seizure, “Yes. Henry was very helpful to me.”

“He saw something that he didn’t understand and he asked me about it…”

“Yes?”

“Belle, why is Mr. Gold wearing a leather collar around his neck? It is a magical item that keeps his powers in check? Or….?”

“It means he is mine. He offered me both his body and his soul and I accepted.”

“Ah..” came the reply.

“Emma, we have done nothing in front of Henry. This is between Rumple and me. That he saw the collar only happened because Rumple had a fit. He doesn’t wear it outside the house but we were home so he had it on. It is a comfort to him.”

“He’s your…slave?”

“No, he is my submissive. It is a safe, sane, and consensual and has nothing to do with you or the rest of the town.”

“He was wearing a collar and has nipple rings for Peter sake. Not exactly subtle there.”

“Ah, Hook told you what he saw. Did he tell you that he walked in on Rumple putting his shirt on? That Rumple was in his private back room? It is not like I was parading him down the main street on the leash and even if I did, who are we hurting?”

Emma took a long sip of coffee, “No one but I can’t do anything about the gossip that might arise from this.”

“What gossip? Did Hook tell anyone else?”

Emma said quickly, “Oh no, just me.”

“I hear a but at the end of that sentence.”

“Someone might have overheard us.”

“Great. Maybe I should lead him down main street on a leash so everyone can talk about it and then forget it when the next crises hits.”

Emma giggled at the thought and then straightened her expression quickly.

“Thank you for telling me Emma. At least I’ll know what the looks are about this time.”

“No problem. I just thought you should know.”

“I do have a question, why come to me rather than Rumple?”

“Well one does have to follow the protocol and he is your submissive so you are in charge of him,” Emma said with a wink.

Belle smiled and said, “I thank you for your kindness.” So Emma understood. It made a lot of sense to Belle.

Emma’s cell phone went off. She looked at it and said, “Great, well a Sheriff’s work is never done. Thanks Belle.”

Belle cleaned up the coffee and opened the library. She wondered how Rumple was doing. She figured she would find out at lunch. She had a lot to tell him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again a plot chapter which means smut is around the corner. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy


	8. Chapter 8

Rumple had a hard day of it. His back and legs ached from the paddling and his shoulder burned from the cuts that his Mistress had given him and he couldn’t be happier.

He hummed an old song while he worked on putting a cup back together. He could have used magic but he liked the challenge of not using it for things like this.

He heard the backdoor open and Belle’s footsteps enter. He turned as she came through the curtain in the back. 

“Rumple we need to talk,” said Belle, “But I don’t think it should be here.”

“What new crises?” he asked picking up his cane. 

She looked at the cane and back to him with a look of horror.

He held up his hand, “No, no nothing like that. It is to keep me from falling. I haven’t re-injured myself. It is more…preventative.”

“I didn’t know I had hurt you that bad,” she said taking his arm and helping him to the backroom.

“Belle, it is what I wanted. I don’t regret a single stroke you gave me. You complete me more than you will ever know. You ask me to trust you the I ask the same of you my love.”

She helped him sit down on one of the two stools at his worktable. She pulled out their lunch and set it up. 

“What is bothering you?”

“Emma came to talk to me today about what happened the other day with Hook. She thinks that the town knows about our…proclivities.”

Rumple growled, “I should have ended that pirate long ago.”

Belle put a hand on his arm and said, “It wasn’t him. He told Emma in confidence but Emma is concerned that someone overheard them talking. Besides it really doesn't matter. I told you I am proud to be your Dom. I hope you are proud to be my sub.”

He placed his hand over hers and said, “I am. More that I can express. This is just going to take a little…adjusting to.”

Belle smiled a sly smile at Rumple.

“What?”

“Emma is in the club.”

“Excuse me?”

“Rumple, she came to me about an issue with my submissive. Not you.”

It took Rumple a minute or so to process what Belle was saying and then the light dawned.

He giggled his maniac giggle and said “I wonder how many other town members are ‘in the club’”

Belle laughed, “Probably more than we know. Maybe we should have a munch and see who else shows up.”

“A munch?”

“A get together for leather folk.”

“Do we really want to know?” asked Rumple with a shutter.

“Probably not but still we know we have at least one person in our corner and it isn’t like the community hasn’t ostracized us before for stranger reasons.”

“But Belle, I don’t want this to impact on you.”

Belle scooted her stool closer to Rumple and took his head in her hands, “I married you. I love you. I love the gift of self you have given to me. It does not effect us therefor it doesn’t effect me.”

She kissed him softly but rapidly it became more passionate and possessive. Her tongue entered his mouth and took charge. He fell into the kiss and let her lead, as was her right as his mistress.

Her hand fell to his lap and she felt his member filling with blood.

She backed up. Rumple whimpered at the loss of her lips on his.

“Well my pet, you seem to be very excited right now.”

He looked at her pleading for release or orders or something.

“I want you to pull it out and let me see it.”

Ok this was new. Rumple unzipped his trousers and pulled down his underwear to release his cock.

“Balls too please.”

Rumple got up and pushed his trousers and underwear down to mid thigh and then sat down on the stool.

“Pleasure yourself. Tell me how much you love me and worship me.”

Rumple fumbled a bit trying to find the right combination of pulling and tugging. He was blushing. Why was he blushing?

“I don’t hear any words. So tell me what you thought about when you pleasured yourself.”

“You mistress, always you.”

“Well that is sweet but what did you think about?”

Rumple found that words were not exactly coming to his lips. He was distracted by her orders and his love standing there in front of him watching him play with himself.

“Your lips.”

“Doing what my dear?”

“Sucking me,” he mumbled.

“I’m sorry? I didn’t hear that.”

“I fantasized about your lips around my cock. Drawing me into your mouth while your hand fondled my balls.”

He felt the warmth building in his belly.

“What else?”

“Fucking you on just about every flat surface of our castle and a few that weren’t too flat.”

“Fucking me?”

“Yes Mistress, fucking.”

“Hmmmm we are going to have to do something about your vocabulary but I think you should come now.”

And with that Rumple felt his balls draw up and he came hard in his hand and the floor. It was a miracle that he missed his trousers. He cried out his orgasm and almost fell off the stool except Belle was there to supporting him. He wrapped his arms carefully around her waist. 

Belle stroked his back and let him settle down before letting go of him. She helped him up and got his clothing back in order on him. She then led him to the cot and made him lie down on his stomach. 

He protested sleepily but she insisted. Rumple shortly dropped off to sleep.

Belle went and put up the closed sign on the front door, left Rumple a note, and locked the backdoor behind her. She went back to the library with the beginnings of a plan forming in her brain.


	9. Chapter 9

Rumple woke up after an hour. He rolled carefully and got up with a groan. He stood up and adjusted himself. He carefully put on his vest and jacket and went to the shop. He turned the sign to ‘open’ and unlocked the door. He barely made it back to his register when he heard the bell sound as the door opened. He turned to find Hook walking into his shop.

Rumple’s gaze narrowed, “What in the nine realms could you possible have to say to me?”

Emma followed Hook in and closed the door behind her, “Hear him out.”

“Well I’m sorry comes to mind first,” said Hook with a slight bow.

Rumple drew himself up to his full height, “You are sorry?”

Hook nodded.

“Not as sorry as you are going to be,” said Rumple as he drew his magic to him. This felt so good and so right like a comfortable suit that he hadn’t worn in a while.

Emma stepped between the two men, “OK both of you knock it off… or do I have to go get Belle?”

Rumple dissipated the ball of energy he had started to form, “Why would you do that? Why involve her?”

“Killian, show him,” said Emma in a tone that Rumple recognized all too well.

Hook grumbled and pulled back his tunic exposing his left breast. 

Rumple saw branded letters there an E and a S. The brands were pretty much healed but probably hurt like hell to get. And all became clear including what Milah had seen in the pirate that no one else had. Rumple’s world both tilted and straightened at the same time.

Rumple felt his knees start to go. Emma and Hook caught him and sat him down on a chair.

“Some of the anger I felt for you was anger about me,” said Hook very quietly, “I was ashamed of who I was. Big bad-ass pirate who liked to be ordered around in the bedroom. The crew would not have been kind to me. I believe they call it projection. We have more in common than we knew Crocodile. Now you have my dark secret to do with as you will.”

“Does Belle know about this?” Rumple asked Emma. 

Emma nodded, “She suggested this.”

Rumple heard the backdoor open and close.

Belle came through the curtains and said, “Sorry I am late. I had a rush of patrons right before closing. So Rumple, now you know too.”

Rumple felt confused and a little lost. He looked to Belle for some sort of direction. 

She placed her hand on the back of his neck and put her fingers on his collar. He leaned into it. 

Hook looked just as lost but Emma grabbed his hair and gave it a tug. Hook’s attention went to Emma.

“Eyes on me,” Emma said with her voice of authority.

“I think our boys get the idea,” said Belle, “I’ll be in touch.”

Emma smiled and nodded. She removed her hand and slipped it into the crook of Hook’s arm and guided him out of the shop. 

Belle followed, turned the sign and locked the door.

Rumple sat. He didn’t feel like he could move unless ordered. 

Belle recognized that he had slipped into subspace so she had to be delicate getting him back to the now.

“Can you hear me Rumple?”

He nodded.

“Do you think you can drive us home safely?”

He shook his head.

“Ok I want you to get up for me and go to the back room. Turn off the lights and strip. I want you kneeling next to the chair if you can if not please stand and wait for me.”

He stood up and went into the backroom.

Belle sighed and tried to figure how she was going to deal with this. 

She extinguished the lights in the shop and let her eyes adjust to the dark before she walked to the backroom. 

She found her love kneeling carefully next to the chair. 

She went to the mini-fridge and pulled out two bottles of water. She checked the lock on the backdoor and made sure all the shades were pulled down. 

She sat down on her chair and placed her hand on Rumple’s neck drawing him to her. He rested his head on her leg and sighed a sigh of contentment. 

They stayed there for a while with Belle running her fingers through his hair. She could feel him relax against her leg. 

“Can you drink some water for me?” she asked.

Rumple nodded and she brought the bottle to his lips and he took a couple of sips. 

She went back to stroking his hair and watching as he came back to himself.

“Welcome back,” said Belle.

Rumple groaned and said “How long was I…gone?”

Belle looked at her phone, “About an hour.”

Rumple shifted his position and hissed.

Belle stood up and helped Rumple stand up. 

“I need to look at your back when we get home.”

He nodded while he put his clothes back on.

“So you need to strip when we get home,” Belle said with a smile.

Rumple groaned and again and kissed his wife, “Woman, you are going to be the death of me. Let’s go home.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tomorrow is my birthday so I am posting a chapter for you this evening.
> 
> Comments would be a lovely present. 
> 
> This did take a turn I was not expecting and I hope that you like it.


	10. Chapter 10

Rumple had stripped and been carefully examined by Belle after dinner. She had him hold very still as she poked and prodded him. 

“Do I pass inspection Mistress?”

Belle gave him a swift smack on the butt that seemed to echo in his cock.

“Apparently being immortal comes with a healing factor. Most of the marks are gone.”

She removed the bandage from his shoulder and said, “However this seems to be scarring up nicely.”

She went to the bench and picked up a blindfold. She handed to Rumple who put it on.

Rumple heard Belle move around the room. He kept still since he hadn’t been told to do anything. He heard her place something behind him.

She placed her hands on his arms and helped him sit down on a stool. He heard the sound of the ratchet so she was lowering something from the ceiling.

“Are you all right?”

“Yes Mistress.”

“Good.”

He heard the sound of rope being unraveled. Then he felt the rope being placed around his neck. Slowly he could feel his cock engorge while she slowing wrapped him lovingly in rope. He felt her attaching the carabineers to points on the rope. 

“Stand up my love,” she said.

She helped him to standing, then to kneel and then lie down. 

He heard her snapping the lines to the carabineers. He heard the sound of the ratchet and found himself suspended in the air held by the rope harness. 

“You OK?”

He nodded because words were escaping him.

She rocked him slowing. It felt like he was flying. His cock felt like it was going to touch his belly he was so hard. 

She checked his circulation and decided it was time for him to return to earth. 

She lowered him back to the floor and helped him role onto his side while she unhooked him. She snapped a cock ring onto his leaking cock. 

He groaned.

“It will be worth it” she whispered in his ear.

She helped him sit up and removed the ropes. She then helped him to stand and gave him a drink of water. 

Rumple was still floating from the experience. 

He found himself being lead a couple of step forward and his cock grabbed. 

He realized in pretty short order what was going on. Belle was on the stool that she had put him on which made it the perfect height for him to enter her. She removed the cock ring.

She grabbed his waist and brought him to her. 

She whispered in his ear, “Move.”

He didn’t need an encouragement. He entered her wet warmness and found her setting the pace with smacks on his butt moving him deeper into her.

It didn’t take long before he found himself screaming her name while she bit next to his neck while she reached her climax. 

She caught him and helped him sit down.

Belle took off the blindfold. 

Rumple blinked owlishly in the dim light of the room until his eyes adjusted.

They sat there panting with their foreheads touching until they could catch their breath.

Belle took his head in her hands and kissed him with reverence.

“Rumple you amaze me every day,” she said.

Rumple smiled and floated on his post orgasmic bliss.

She helped him up and they both went to the shower. In the shower they re-explored each other’s bodies slowly. 

Rumple dried Belle off first and then himself. 

He went to his dresser to get some nightwear when he heard Belle say, “Not tonight. Come to bed.”

He turned to find his very naked wife in bed holding the covers up for him. Rumple slid in and wrapped himself around her. They quickly fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short update which I hope you enjoy. Thank you for the birthday wishes. The airport was not as much of a pain as it had been on previous birthdays.
> 
> I am still working on this but my problem is that when I travel for work I have a company laptop on which no personal business is to be done at all and they do check and write one up if so for reasons I can't legally get into. 
> 
> So I have my iPad which is a pain to write on for longer than answering personal email and surfing the web.
> 
> I have to wait to be home for more than 24 hours to work on this.
> 
> So my apologies for the length of time in between and with any luck I'll be home for a while so I can work on this.
> 
> thank you for your understanding. and comments are motivation to continue. I go back and read them.


	11. Chapter 11

Belle awoke to the sound of whimpering. She hadn’t heard that sound in a while. 

She turned towards her husband to see that he was in the throws of a nightmare. He had sweated through the sheets. He was twitching. 

Belle debated what to do. Waking him could be dangerous for both of them but she hated seeing him like this.

Rumple solved the dilemma by sit up and shouting “BELLE” in a voice that was full of hurt and loss that it brought tears to Belle’s eyes in hearing it.

Rumple panted as he tried to regain mastery over himself. He ran his fingers through his sweat soaked hair and slowed his breathing. He turned to see his wife watching him.

“I…I’m sorry Belle,” he said.

Belle put her finger over his lips and said, “Don’t apologize. You have nothing to apologize for.”

She rubbed his back trying to help him calm down.

“I was back in the cage,” he said very quietly, “in our castle. Zelana…Zelana had used me as her plaything again. I was forced to watch as she dragged you in front of my cage and slit your throat so the blood ran into a bowl. She informed me that all I was to have to drink that day was your blood. Then she made me…she used the dagger and made me…” 

“Rumple that didn’t happen.” Belle took his hand in hers, “ I am here and I am real.”

He looked at her with such terror on his face, “How do I know this? How do I know that this isn’t some illusion she created and any second now I am going to find myself back in a cage my will in the hands of a madwoman? How can I even know what is real?”

She could see he was heading to hysteria so she did the first thing that came to mind and slapped his face.

That seem to bring him back to the now.

“I’m sorry Rumple, I had no idea what else to do.”

“No,” he said quietly, “Thank you.”

She kissed the red mark on his cheek and proceeded to work her way to his lips.

Rumple returned the kisses with passion. They kissed for a while. 

Belle rubbed his back while she locked lips with her husband.

When she touched the rose, he jumped a bit. She giggled.

“See Reality not Fantasy.”

He nodded and took her hands in his, “What would I do without you Belle? You complete me.”

“And you me Rumple. We were meant to be together. Do you think you can get back to sleep.”

He gathered her up in his arms and lay down on the bed. She shortly fell back to sleep but Rumple stayed awake.

He kissed the top of her head and stroked her shoulder. 

Belle made a happy noise and curled in closer to Rumple.

Rumple’s mind churned making it hard to sleep. 

That Hook shared his proclivities didn’t seem too strange now but it had floored Rumple when it was revealed. 

That he was not the only male to feel the way that he did was comforting. That the only other male he knew that shared it was Killian Jones was not.

He gently extracted himself from his wife’s arms. He went to his dresser and got his pajamas. He grabbed his robe from the bathroom and went downstairs to the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of water and sat down at the table.

He hadn’t had a nightmare that bad in a while. He didn’t know if he could stand going back to those. He couldn’t quiet his mind. He threw the glass across the room and it shattered against the wall. 

“Rumple, was that a good idea?”

Rumple jumped and turned in his seat to see his wife with her arms crossed and a look of concern on her face.

“Now clean that up and then join me in the playroom.”

He ran his fingers through his hair and debated if he could use magic.

As if she was reading his mind, “And yes magic is allowed,” she said as she walked upstairs.

A quick spell and the glass was back in the cupboard fixed and clean.

He joined Belle in the playroom.

“Strip” came the command.

Rumple found himself out of his clothes.

“All fours” 

He dropped to the floor. 

“Look at me.”

He looked up at her and saw that she had the dagger in her hand.

“I’m in control. I own you. Now when you have these problems, you are to come see me. Not take it out on our glassware.” 

She put his collar on him, grabbed a paddle, and walked behind him.

“Brace yourself and count.”

He braced and relaxed at the same time. It didn’t matter the first blow caught him by surprise.

“One Mistress”

And the beating went on. Blow after blow. The count went up and up. She stopped and switched hands then resumed the punishment.

After a while all that the world vanished and he found himself just floating along.

“Rumple?”

He looked up and saw such concern on his face. He smiled and said “Thank you Mistress. I am calm now.”

“Can you stand?”

He tried to stand and failed. She helped him up and back to the bed room. She got him back into the bed and stroked his hair until he fell asleep. She held up the dagger and said “Heal.” She watched at the light enveloped her lover and he fell deeper into sleep. She got back into the bed and spooned with her husband. 

‘Tomorrow,’ she though, ‘I need to talk to Emma.’ And she fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we are back... sort of...
> 
> I am happy that people are still reading.
> 
> I am grateful for all the comments and encouragement.


	12. Chapter 12

The next day Belle sent a text to Emma and they arranged to have lunch at the Rabbit Hole. Belle was nervous but she really didn’t have anyone else to talk to about Rumple and what he needed.

Belle arrived and was directed to one of the booths in the back that allowed for private conversation if you kept your voice down.

Emma had a picture of beer and two glasses in front of her.

“I thought we could both use a drink” she said filling Belle’s glass, “So what do you need to talk about?”

Belle took a sip of the amber liquid and found it good and smooth. 

“How long have you been dominant?” 

Emma laughed, “Honestly, I don’t know a time in my life that I haven’t been. It started when I was a kid. I always got a warm feeling in my gut when I watched characters on TV all tied up and being hurt. I didn’t learn until later that what I was had a name, sadist.”

“So Baelfire?”

“Just like his dad apparently. Although I am having a hard time believing that the Dark One wants to be controlled.”

Belle smiled, “You and me both Emma.”

“How long have you two been…”

“In a relationship? It happened after Zelena was killed. He needed me to help take him in hand. The release seems to give him some form of peace and calm.”

“What about you? Did you do anything like this before?”

“Oh no, I didn’t even know about it outside of some romance novels I read. But I find that I enjoy it and love being able to help Rumple. The orgasms are a bonus to me” she said with a giggle.

The two women ordered lunch and started trading notes on their boys.

Emma and Belle both felt a great sense of relief to be able to talk to someone about what they were doing.

Belle learned a couple of new tricks as did Emma. 

By the end of the lunch there was agreement that they would check in with their boys and see if they could get together on a play date.

Belle walked into the Pawn Shop after closing the library. Rumple was tinkering with some sort of mechanical device. 

“I had lunch with Emma,” she said putting down her bag and sitting across from her husband. 

“And how is the good Sheriff?”

“She is doing well…We talked about you and Killian a bit,”

Rumple almost dropped the tools he was holding but managed to keep it together, “You do what?”

“Rumple, it is for the best. Here is someone I can talk to about what you need from me who has a lot more experience than I.”

Rumple placed the tools carefully on the table and moved the jeweler’s loop he had in his left eye. 

“More experience…” he thought for a bit and said quietly “Bae.”

“Like father like son Rumple. Your son was more like you than you ever knew.”

Rumple didn’t look happy, “I ruined him.”

“What?”

“My….perversions… were visited upon him.”

“OK that’s it. I have had it.” She pulled out the dagger and said “On your knees Dark One.”

Rumple found himself on his knees faster than he ever thought possible.

“I have no idea how I am going to get this through your thick skull. Beating you apparently has done no good. Loving you hasn’t gotten the point across. So I am going to say this while holding the bloody dagger to get you to listen to me.”

Rumple looked up from the floor at Belle’s face. He shuttered a bit. He could tell she was not happy with him at all.

“There is NOTHING wrong with you Rumplestilskin. Not a thing. What you crave is not a perversion or wrong or bad. Honestly it is another way to express love and trust. You say that you trust me with your body and your soul. But I am afraid I don’t believe you. You have lost my trust because you can’t believe that I love all of you both good and bad. And you are going to have to go a long way to regain my trust.”

She put the dagger away and said, “I’m going home. If you care to join me, please do but I don’t want to impose on you at all.”

She left Rumple kneeling on the floor of the shop sobbing at his loss of her trust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not forgotten I promise. This chunk has been written and rewritten so many times I am about to chuck it out the window and forget it but this needed to be posted for some of the rest of the story to make sense.
> 
> Hope you like it. And thank you for your patience in this because currently this story is kicking my butt.


	13. Chapter 13

Rumple knelt for a long time on the floor. Long after the tears had stopped falling from his eyes. 

He screwed up and he had screwed up big time. 

That little voice started whispering in his brain, “They leave. They always leave your father, Milah, Bae, and now Belle.”

“Shut up. Shut UP. SHUT UP!” he said out loud but the voice just laughed at his pain.

He had lost her trust and considering what the two of them had been through, that was no small thing.

Well this time would be different. He would find a way to get back his Belle. 

He got up from the floor rather stiffly. 

Home, he had to get home and prove to Belle that he was worthy of her trust. 

He locked up and drove home. He went into the house and said, “Belle?”

There was no answer. He felt a cold feeling in the pit of his stomach. 

He walked into the kitchen to find a meal covered by a dish and a note on top of it.

The cold feeling went to ice in his veins.

He opened the note.

_Rumple,_

_I still do love you more that I can ever say. Never doubt that._

_I am sad that you don’t seem to be able to understand that what we do and the control that you give me is a gift that I treasure very much._

_There is nothing wrong with what we do with each other. We do it out of love not to hurt each other but to express our love._

_I know that you have been through a number of traumas. And that you have issues with trust._

_So here is what I am going to do and I want you to join me in this._

_I went out with Ruby this evening. She saw me leave the shop and could tell I was very upset. We agreed to grab Emma and go out to dinner._

_Your dinner is on the table._

_I want you to eat it and then go upstairs and take a long bath._

_Don’t wait up for me. I will join you later._

_Tomorrow I have an appointment with Archie and I would like you to join me. I am hoping that he can give me the vocabulary so I can get through that rather thick skull of yours so you can see how I truly feel about you._

_You have your orders. Whether you decided to obey is up to you. Dagger is in the usual place._

_I love you._

_Belle_

He looked under the plate at the pasta and meat sauce she had put together for him. He warmed it up in the microwave and sat down to eat.

He didn’t know how to feel. Counseling? Really? 

He then thought of his pledge to himself to win Belle’s trust back. He would do anything she wanted to fix this. If this was the way she wanted to do it, he would support her.

He went upstairs to find everything laid out in the bathroom for him. He smiled. She did know him so well. He filled the tub and added the bath salts. He soaked in the tub until the temperature dropped to lower than tepid. He got out and dried off with the towels that Belle had put out for him. He wrapped a towel around his waist and went into the bedroom where Belle had put out his nightclothes and he found another note on the pillow.

_Rumple,  
Hope you enjoyed your bath. Please get into bed and wait for me to return. You can fall asleep if you need to.  
Love-  
Belle_

Rumple gave a thought to use a scrying crystal and then dismissed it. He had been given his orders and he would show that he could obey them.

He settled into bed with a book and a double of scotch and proceeded to read, drink and wait. 

He awoke at the sound of the front door closing. He looked at his watch 3:27. 

He heard Belle take off her shoes and tip-toe up the stairs.

He debated about pretending to be asleep but didn’t think that would go over well.

Belle entered the bedroom to find Rumple sitting up in bed.

“I thought I could sneak in” she said.

“I heard the front door open. It’s not your fault. I have the house warded so I know when people enter and who they are. Belle….”

“Rumple, give me a few before we start talking. I need to take a shower. Mr. Wulf was smoking up a storm outside the Rabbit Hole and they had the door open. I feel like I smell like an ashtray. Let me do that and if you are awake, we can talk.”

“How much did you have to drink?”

“A couple of girly drinks. No, Rumple I am not drunk. I am not even tipsy.”

She went off and he heard the shower running. Shortly she came in with her hair and her body each wrapped in a towel. She sat down at her dressing table and started to brushed her hair out .

“Belle, I will go to see Archie with you.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Why are you going to go with me?”

“Because you asked me to. I have been thinking and you are right. It might help us.”

“Good. I am pleased that you agreed to this.”

She finished brushing her hair and put on her nightgown. She got into bed with Rumple and curled up next to him.

Rumple put out the lights and pulled Belle in for a hug.

They fell asleep listening to each other’s heart beats.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Not dead. Not orphaned. 
> 
> So they finally make that visit to Archie.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do apologize for the length of time it took to get to this chapter. I hope that I still have some readers for it.
> 
> I am figuring I will update about once a week unless I get some free time so I will be continuing this.

Rumple found himself sitting next to Belle with Archie sitting across from them. In front on a table was a nice tea set with cups set up at the ready. To the right and left of the tea set were discreetly placed tissue boxes.

He knew in theory why he was there but he felt ambushed and a little upset.

“Now I know you feel ambushed and a little upset,” said Archie, “but Belle felt it was time for the two of you to talk with my help if needed.”

Rumple raised an eyebrow. This was new information. Had Belle come to see Archie on her own?

Belle took his hand in hers, “Rumple, we need to sort this out. I can’t go on with things the way they are now.”

“And how is that?” he asked. 

“Broken.”

Rumple looked at his wife and lover not believing that word came out of her mouth.

“So you don’t wish to be with a broken…thing?”

“No Rumple. Don’t put this on me. WE have things WE need to work out. I love you and I want to be with you”

“But?”

Archie interrupted, “But she can’t really be with you when you are not being honest with her.”

Rumple erupted, “HONEST!?!?! I have been more honest with Belle than any other person in my life. I have bared my soul to her. I have told her things that I have never told anyone. I gave her my trust and my….” 

It wasn’t fair. He could feel tears coming to his eyes. He couldn’t be this way in front of a damn cricket even if he was back to being a man. But it came from within. He choked on the sob that came from within. 

He could feel Belle rubbing his back gently. He could hear that words were coming out of her mouth but he couldn’t make sense of them. Only the roaring in his ears. He had failed again. She was going away. He couldn’t do anything to make it better. He was alone and afraid. But that is what he deserved and he knew it. In his heart of hearts he knew that no one could really love all of him. This had just been a game that lovers played nothing serious to her. He had given her his best kept secret and she had told others about it. He felt naked and exposed. His mind went back to the cage where he could feel the whispering starting in his brain. The pain and loss grew so great he thought his heart would break. They didn’t know what Zelena had done to him, had forced him to do, they would never know the degradation and humiliation she had put him through. He could hear her laughing and it rang in his ears. He tried to cover his ears to keep the sound out but it got louder and louder. Until it all went away and he could feel the comfortable blackness slipping over his brain.

He came to on the floor next to the couch where he had been sitting. The table had been moved. He had a small pillow under his head and another larger one under his feet. His tie had been removed and the top two buttons on his shirt were undone. He heard voices.

“Belle if he doesn’t come to shortly I am going to again strongly suggest you take him to the hospital. This is not normal.”

“Archie, I can’t take him there. What if they decided he is dangerous and want to lock him away. You heard what he said. It will kill him.”

“But…”

“I know Archie. I know however I can handle him. I can help him. How is putting him in that facility going to help him?”

“You read the file that Dr. Whale had on his injuries.”

“And they healed. His body is healed.”

“And his mind?”

He heard Belle sigh, “That’s the elephant in the room isn’t it?”

He decided it was a good time to open his eyes. He tried but it was too bright. He couldn’t stop a groan from escaping his lips.

“Rumple?” he could feel Belle kneel next to him.

He nodded carefully. His head hurt a lot.

“Rumple you had some kind of…fit. How do you feel?”

He carefully opened his eyes again. This time he could see his wife’s face in front of him. He could see the love and concern in her eyes. She still loved him. After everything she still loved him. 

He reached a hand out and stroked her face, “I love you so very much Belle.”

She placed her hand on his, “And I you Rumple.”

He tried to sit up but the room seemed to tilt a bit.

He heard Archie say, “Whoa there. Gently. You hit your head on the coffee table when you tumbled over.”

Well that explained the splitting headache he was feeling.

Slowly the three of them got Rumple to a sitting position on the couch. 

“What happened?” asked Rumple. He could see the looks between the other two.

Belle sat down next to Rumple and took his hand into hers.

“You don’t remember?”

He carefully shook his head.

“You were talking to me and you were going to stand but your eyes rolled up in your head and you fell.”

Rumple looked at Archie who gave a friendly smile and nodded. 

“Rumple, you said a lot of things out loud. I don’t think you knew what you were saying.”

Rumple looked carefully at Belle, “Like what?”

“I didn’t know half of the stuff that Zelena did to you,” she shuttered at the thought.

It was out. She knew. She knew what had happened to him. He felt relieved in a way and shame in another.

“I should have been stronger,” Rumple said, “I should have….”

Belle took his head in her hands and forced him to look at her, “No. No Rumple. It is not your fault and that I think is our problem in a nutshell. You think what she did to you is your fault but it wasn’t. You had no control. She had the dagger and total control over you. That was neither safe nor sane nor, most importantly, consensual. You never consented to anything she did to you. You couldn’t. You have to stop blaming yourself or we both will go mad.”

Rumple looked deep into her eyes. She was right. She was always right. How did he deserve such a wonderful woman?

“I love you,” came the answer to his unasked question, “And I want to help you. This has got to be a team effort. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” he said rather woodenly, “I understand.”

Archie cleared his throat to remind them that he was still there, “I think this might be a good stopping point today considering all that has happened. However I do think we need to meet again.”

He went to his desk calendar, “How about in two days time?”

They nodded in unison and took their leave from Dr. Hopper office.

“Granny’s?” asked Rumple.

“Good idea. I am dying for a hamburger.”

They walked to Granny’s in silence each with their own thoughts whirling in their minds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your kind comments and kudos inspire me to continue.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Has some free time so enjoy.

The lunch at Granny’s was nice. They made small talk and just enjoyed each other’s company. They could feel the eyes on them from the people coming in and out of the diner. 

Belle never understood why they were under such scrutiny. Rumple dismissed it as they were worried that the Dark One was going to go ballistic over a bad burger. She knew his reputation but he hadn’t done anything since they got rid of Zelena other than help with magical problems that came up.

It didn’t help that he had a bandage on his left temple where his head had struck the coffee table.

Afterwards they made the mutual decision to go home rather than back to the shop or the library. She asked Dopey if he could keep the place open for the bookclub. He agreed to do so. He had helped her with getting the library back together after a number of false starts and knew the place well.

She entered the house with her mind still thinking about all the things she had heard Rumple say. She believed he didn’t remember saying half of them. She shuttered at the images that played out in her brain. 

“Are you all right?” came the question from her lover and husband.

“Yes, just a bit of a chill,” said Belle, “Rumple…”

She tried to figure out how to continue the sentence and decided to go with the familiar.

“I want you to go upstairs to the playroom and wait for me.”

He looked at her with such love and devotion and went up the stairs quickly.

She needed something after all that had happened as did he and she would be a bad mistress if she didn’t do something for them but she needed a few to get her head in the right space.

She went to the fridge and poured herself a large glass of water. She took a couple of aspirin with the water hoping that the tension headache she was feeling would dull down a bit. She needed to focus on Rumple and his needs. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and went upstairs.

Rumple was waiting for her naked and kneeling.

“Did I ask you to strip?” she said in a firm tone.

He looked up at her puzzled.

“Did I ask you to kneel?” 

He now really was confused. She had told him to come up to the playroom and this is usually how she wanted him but apparently not this time.

“I want you to stand up and get dressed,” she said “And then sit down on the bench.”

He looked hurt and upset.

“Rumple, you are not in trouble. You have done nothing wrong.” She said as she watched him cover up that body she loved almost too much. 

He sat down on the bench as she commanded. She handed him the bottle of water that she brought up. He opened it and took a sip. The confused look had not abated.

“And we aren’t going to talk about today. Nodded if you understand.”

Just when she thought he couldn’t look anymore baffled, he managed a new level of it.

“Finish up that water and then I want you to stand in the middle of the room with your hands at your side.”

A command, OK now he felt more on even ground. He did as he had been ordered to. Belle stepped out of the room and came back in wearing one of his t-shirts and pajama pants. 

She walked slowly around him admiring the view. 

Rumple tried to relax but it was hard since his mind was going a mile a minute wondering what she was going to do next.

She stepped in front of him and took his head in her hands bringing it down to her level. She took his top lip into her mouth and sucked on it gently. Then slowly she plundered his mouth with her lips, tongue and teeth. He could feel his body respond to her.

She suddenly stepped back causing Rumple to almost topple over as his head followed her.

“Straighten up,” came the command, which he followed immediately.

“Good. I debated about a blindfold for you but I want you to see this so that you may understand.”

He cocked an eyebrow.

She grinning a wicked grin and he wished she had allowed him to remain naked as his pants were getting entirely too tight.

She reached up and undid his tie and put it around her neck.

“Now we shall really begin…”

Rumple smiled and relaxed. He knew he was in good hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I know bad place to leave it but more motivation for me to get the next bit up.


	16. Chapter 16

She started by slowly undoing the buttons on his vest and ran her hands over his chest before untucking his shirt. She slowly and lovingly opened each button on his shirt.

She placed a hand on his chest and licked her lips, “May I?”

He nodded not trusting his words to come out correctly.

She started with his neck nipping and sucking and then worked her way down to his clavicle. 

Rumple could feel his knees grow week and his pants grow tighter to almost the point of pain.

She took one nipple ring in her mouth and pulled it with her lips and teeth while pulling the other with her fingers. 

“Belle,” he gasped.

She placed a hand on his crotch and asked, “May I?”

“Please!” he begged.

She kissed her way down to the waistband of his trousers. Rumple clenched his hands into fists willing himself to not cum in his pants.

She undid the clasp and zipper and carefully let his trousers drop to his ankles. His boxers followed quickly and he felt his member spring free its entrapment.

“Well this is a nice surprise,” she said with a giggle.

She took him in hand and stroked his cock and balls.

“Belle I’m going to cum,” he said trying to hold himself back.

“Please do if you want to.” She said then she licked a stripe from the head to his balls.

That was it. Rumple found himself cumming hard all over Belle. He crumpled to his knees breathing heavily. 

“I’m sorry,” he said after he caught his breath.

“For what?” she asked.

“For…” he gestured to the mess on her and the floor.

“Express your pleasure? Never apologize for that. Now let’s sit down.”

She helped him get his underwear and trousers back into place and sat down with him.

“Rumple, I want you to think of what we just did.”

He smiled.

“That was safe, sane and consensual. You were in control of the situation and if you had asked me, I would have stopped. Like every time we spend time in here. There is nothing controlling you. Free will. You have it here unless you give it to me and I now appreciate that gift more than you will ever know. I know this won’t fix everything but at least, I hope, it is a start.”

It was like a lighting bolt went off in his brain. She was right. He was in control here. He was safe. She wouldn’t hurt him the way that he had been hurt by that witch. He felt for the first time in longer than he could remember safe and not afraid.

He hugged Belle, “Thank you. Thank you for this gift.”

She hugged him back, “You are welcome. Now let’s get some sleep since we both have work tomorrow.”

They went to bed and, for the first time probably in their married lives, both of them had only good dreams of a future together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end of this one. Thank you for your patience in this.
> 
> I will probably revisit these two once I can get sorted out what's next.
> 
> I thank you for reading. I thank you for commenting. I thank you for your Kudos.
> 
> I am probably going to go back to the Dark Castle for a bit next.


	17. Chapter 17

She started by slowly undoing the buttons on his vest and ran her hands over his chest before untucking his shirt. She slowly and lovingly opened each button on his shirt.

She placed a hand on his chest and licked her lips, “May I?”

He nodded not trusting his words to come out correctly.

She started with his neck nipping and sucking and then worked her way down to his clavicle. 

Rumple could feel his knees grow week and his pants grow tighter to almost the point of pain.

She took one nipple ring in her mouth and pulled it with her lips and teeth while pulling the other with her fingers. 

“Belle,” he gasped.

She placed a hand on his crotch and asked, “May I?”

“Please!” he begged.

She kissed her way down to the waistband of his trousers. Rumple clenched his hands into fists willing himself to not cum in his pants.

She undid the clasp and zipper and carefully let his trousers drop to his ankles. His boxers followed quickly and he felt his member spring free its entrapment.

“Well this is a nice surprise,” she said with a giggle.

She took him in hand and stroked his cock and balls.

“Belle I’m going to cum,” he said trying to hold himself back.

“Please do if you want to.” She said then she licked a stripe from the head to his balls.

That was it. Rumple found himself cumming hard all over Belle. He crumpled to his knees breathing heavily. 

“I’m sorry,” he said after he caught his breath.

“For what?” she asked.

“For…” he gestured to the mess on her and the floor.

“Express your pleasure? Never apologize for that. Now let’s sit down.”

She helped him get his underwear and trousers back into place and sat down with him.

“Rumple, I want you to think of what we just did.”

He smiled.

“That was safe, sane and consensual. You were in control of the situation and if you had asked me, I would have stopped. Like every time we spend time in here. There is nothing controlling you. Free will. You have it here unless you give it to me and I now appreciate that gift more than you will ever know. I know this won’t fix everything but at least, I hope, it is a start.”

It was like a lighting bolt went off in his brain. She was right. He was in control here. He was safe. She wouldn’t hurt him the way that he had been hurt by that witch. He felt for the first time in longer than he could remember safe and not afraid.

He hugged Belle, “Thank you. Thank you for this gift.”

She hugged him back, “You are welcome. Now let’s get some sleep since we both have work tomorrow.”

They went to bed and, for the first time probably in their married lives, both of them had only good dreams of a future together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end of this one. Thank you for your patience in this.
> 
> I will probably revisit these two once I can get sorted out what's next.
> 
> I thank you for reading. I thank you for commenting. I thank you for your Kudos.
> 
> I am probably going to go back to the Dark Castle for a bit next.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back kinda sorta. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this.
> 
> Comments and kudos are greatly appreciated.


End file.
